Vehicle recovery traction mat with lockable hinged sections

Abstract

A vehicle recovery aid (10), suitable for use in providing traction and support to a wheeled vehicle is elongate and has two ends. The aid (10) includes a plurality of longitudinally spaced wheel support elements (12) for supporting at least one wheel of the wheeled vehicle. At least some of the support elements (12) are hingedly interconnected to permit the aid (10) to conform to the shape of a surface on which it is laid.

I claim: 
     
       1. A vehicle recovery aid suitable for use in providing traction and support to a wheeled vehicle, the aid being elongate, having two ends, and comprising a plurality of longitudinally spaced interconnected wheel support elements for supporting at least one wheel of the wheeled vehicle, adjacent support elements being hingedly interconnected by a hinge mechanism so as to permit the aid to conform to the shape of a surface on which it is laid, each hinge mechanism having a released state in which the support elements are relatively displaceable, and a locked state in which relative displacement between the support elements is inhibited and comprising at least one linking member connected to, and extending between adjacent support elements, the linking member being pivotally connected to at least one of said support elements when the hinge mechanism is in its released state. 
     
     
       2. A vehicle recovery aid as claimed in claim 1, in which each linking member is pivotally connected to the adjacent support elements so that each support element is independently pivotal with respect to the linking member when the hinge mechanism is in its released state. 
     
     
       3. A vehicle recovery aid as claimed in claim 2, in which each wheel support element comprises a body, having opposed ends, and a pair of pivot pin support members connected to the opposed ends of the body, each hinge mechanism including a pair of pivot pins supported, respectively, in the pivot pin support members of adjacent support elements and the, or each, linking member being mounted on the pivot pins. 
     
     
       4. A vehicle recovery aid as claimed in claim 3, in which each pivot pin support member is tubular having a pair of opposed ends, the associated pivot pin being dimensioned such that it extends through the pivot pin support member with end portions of the pivot pin protruding from the opposed ends of the pivot pin support member and each hinge mechanism including a pair of linking members which are mounted in the protruding end portions of the pivot pins. 
     
     
       5. A vehicle recovery aid as claimed in claim 4, in which each linking member comprises a link plate having a pair of spaced apart holes therethrough through which the corresponding protruding portions of the pivot pins of adjacent support elements extend, the vehicle recovery aid including retaining elements mounted on the pivot pins for retaining the link plates in position on the pivot pins. 
     
     
       6. A vehicle recovery aid as claimed in claim 5, in which each pivot pin has a major part with a non-circular cross-sectional profile and end portions with circular cross-sectional profiles, the associated pivot pin support member and hole in the, or each, linking plate having complementary non-circular cross-sectional profiles so that each pivot pin is non-rotatably received in its pivot pin support member and, by positioning the link plate on that portion of the pivot pin having a circular cross-sectional profile, relative rotation between the link plate and the pivot pin is permitted and, by positioning the link plate on that portion of the pivot pin having a non-circular cross-sectional profile, relative rotation between the link plate and the pivot pin is resisted and the mechanism is locked. 
     
     
       7. A vehicle recovery aid as claimed in claim 3, in which the body of each wheel support element is generally rectangular when viewed in plan and has a generally corrugated appearance comprising alternating transversely extending valleys or ridges. 
     
     
       8. A vehicle recovery aid as claimed in claim 1, which includes at least one wheel traction element forming at least one of the ends of the aid, the traction element being hingedly connected to an adjacent wheel support element, to provide traction to the wheel of the wheeled vehicle to enable the vehicle to be driven onto the wheel support elements. 
     
     
       9. A vehicle recovery aid as claimed in claim 8, in which each wheel traction element comprises a flat body which is generally rectangular when viewed in plan and which has a plurality of operatively upwardly directed, gripping or traction formations to enable the wheel of the wheeled vehicle to gain purchase on the wheel traction element so that it can be driven up onto the associated wheel support element. 
     
     
       10. A vehicle recovery aid as claimed in claim 1, which includes an extracting member for extracting the aid after the aid has been used. 
     
     
       11. A vehicle recovery aid as claimed in claim 10, in which the extracting member is in the form of an elongate flexible member connected to one of the elements. 
     
     
       12. A vehicle recovery aid as claimed in claim 1, in which each of at least some of the wheel support elements is in the form of an extrusion. 
     
     
       13. A vehicle recovery aid as claimed in claim 12, in which at least one gripping formation protrudes upwardly from the bodies of at least some of the wheel support elements to improve traction between the wheel of a wheeled vehicle and the wheel support elements. 
     
     
       14. A vehicle recovery aid as claimed in claim 13, in which each gripping formation is in the form of a transversely extending upwardly directed ridge. 
     
     
       15. A vehicle recovery aid as claimed in claim 14, in which at least some of the ridges are discontinuous.